Capital Current profiles people who have made an impact on the Ottawa community.
Who is Melanie Brulée?
Melanie Brulée is an award-winning Franco-Ontarien singer-songwriter and the current executive director of the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC).
After years of performing across Canada and abroad, Brulée left the spotlight after releasing her final studio recording in 2021, a single dedicated to mental health appreciation, to help foster Ottawa’s music scene.
What’s her background?
Choose Cornwall says Brulée began her performing career at 21 after she left her hometown and travelled to Australia where she was inspired to pick up her guitar and started busking. That’s not the only place she has travelled to outside of Canada. She has also lived in Nashville, Tenn., the home of country music, where she went on a songwriting spree. Her first EP was released in 2012 when she was living in Toronto.
What is she known for in Ottawa?
In Ottawa, Brulée is also known for her role with the OMIC, where, according to Martin Noakes, co-owner of the Great Dark Wonder blog with his wife Lesley Carter, Brulée channels her experience as an artist to empower Ottawa musicians and industry professionals. Noakes also knows Brulée as a performer and was first captivated by her musical chops in 2017 at short set in Gravenhurst, ON.
OMIC works to unite and promote Ottawa’s music community through a series of activities including the Capital Music Week, awards, and professional workshops. In an interview with the Ottawa Business Journal, Brulée said her goal is to attract record labels, jobs and managers to Ottawa.
Brulée is also a member of the Ottawa Nightlife Council, which aims to enhance the city’s nightlife scene through feedback, safety and promotion. Brulée and five other economic and cultural industry members, act as advocates to help grow Ottawa’s nightlife.
What do people say about her?
As a musician, she gained recognition for her French album Débridée, which was awarded a Stingray Music Rising Star Award and three Trille Or nominations, according to an article from Passim.
“She’s a wonderful person, totally down to earth, incredibly focused and with knowledge of the industry,” said Noakes.
Music critic Thierry Côté said, “Brulée also proves herself to be a fine interpreter,” in an article published in Exclaim! in 2015. He highlighted her song Obtus from Débridée as “Catchy, charmingly retro dance-pop.”
What’s something people don’t know about her?
Brulée often meets up with Noakes and Carter when they visit Ottawa from Pennsylvania. The couple has maintained a friendship with Brulée over the years.
